Shattered
by gublersocks
Summary: Aaron Hotchner is suffering, and he is about to break down. Emily offers her help to him and he genuinely takes it. But when a case comes up and he goes in to confront the UNSUB alone, what happens when shots are fired, and he isn't wearing his vest. H/P THE STORY IS BETTER THAN THE SUMMARY TRUST ME! Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All the rights go to CBS and the writers. This is meant for entertainment use only and I give full credit to the cast and crew. **

**7:00 AM**

The rain was coming down hard outside. It got to the point that if your car was parked out on the side of the road, you were basically fucked. The water started to take over the roads, flooding the streets. Of course, she had work that day. There was a new case, and JJ had called everyone this morning at six o'clock. She still had an hour until she had to be at work, but she always loved to be early.

She felt her cell phone ring in her pocket.

_**CALLER ID: AARON HOTCHNER**_

She sighed. "Yeah,"

"_Hey, it's Hotch."_

"I know, I have caller ID, remember?"

Hotch chuckled into the speaker. _"I know, I just wanted to make sure I had the right number."_

"What's up?"

"_I was just wondering if you're side of town is flooded. I'm watching the news right now, and it's saying there is a pretty wicked rain storm headed your way."_

"Hotch, it's already here. There's no way I can get out of my street. I parked my car on the road, and I'm screwed. I'm going to have to walk to work."

"_No, no! Don't do that. I'll pick you up, and we can stop for coffee on the way to the BAU. I'll be there in twenty minutes."_

"No! Hotch, you don't have to-"

"_I'll be there in twenty minutes, Prentiss."_

And with that, the line went dead. Emily sighed and slowly closed her phone. She looked down at herself. She was wearing a pair of light grey sweat pants and a black tank top that clung to her, showing off her curves. Her dark hair was pulled up into a messy pony tail, and her bangs hung loosely on her forehead.

Emily stood still for a few moments and then in a flash, she was in her bedroom. She pulled out a pair of grey cargo pants and her purple t-shirt. She pulled the t-shirt on over her head and jumped into her pants. Her boots were nowhere to be found and she was about to lose it. She glanced at her alarm clock.

**7:15 AM**

"Shit."

Hotch was going to be here in five minutes and she still had to do her make-up and brush her teeth. She quickly rolled on her mascara and applied a light foundation to her face. Emily was still trying to remember where she put her boots. She threw her hair up in tight pony tail this time, making it look like she didn't_ just_ wake up. She grabbed her tooth paste and brushed her teeth. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

"Prentiss!"

"Damn it," she growled, her tooth paste dripping out of her mouth. She ran out of the bathroom, her tooth brush still in her mouth and opened the door.

Emily looked and him, and he looked at her. She gave him an innocent smirk and a little laugh.

"I…uh, I was in the middle of…" she tried to say to him, but the tooth paste and the brush was causing her to fumble her words. Hotch took in the scene before him and he let his head fall. He chuckled at her.

"You sure are one of a kind, Emily."

Emily gave him a smile and held up her finger, saying she'll be one minute. Hotch smiled and nodded to her. Emily ran back to her bathroom and spit out the remaining paste in her mouth and wiped her mouth. She gave herself one last look and smoothed out her shirt. She ran back to the door, and spotted her boots by the front door. She chuckled to herself and pushed them on; tucking in her pant legs.

"Alright, ready?" she asked him, grabbing her go-bag in the process. Hotch nodded and headed towards his car.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to make it through the rain in your car?" she asked him, checking her phone for messages.

"Are you saying that my car is a piece of shit?" he asked her. She could hear the sarcasm in his voice, so she just laughed at him.

"I've never hear you swear before Aaron…I mean, Hotch." She told him, quickly correcting herself. She knew that he wouldn't mind, but she didn't want him to feel like she had the right to call him by his first name.

"You know, you're allowed to call me that, Emily." He told her seriously. Her smile grew and her heart fluttered vigorously.

"I know that, it's just…I've always known you as Hotch; the unit chief who is always serious and never smiles. The only thing I know about _Aaron_ is that you have a son that loves you very much." She told him honestly.

"I know, I'm lucky." He told her with a smile.

They reached the car and both of them hoped in. Hotch headed towards the nearest Starbucks and they both ordered what they wanted. Hotch offered to pay, but Emily said she would pay next time. The ride to the BAU was quiet. They were both thinking about how bad this case was going to be.

Emily looked over at Hotch and noticed that his eyebrows were furrowed and his grip in the steering wheel was tense. His body language told her that he had something on his mind that was bugging him. His jaw kept clenching and he kept licking his lips. She thought that this was the right time to break the silence.

"Hotch?"

He didn't look over at her but he replied with, "Mhm?"

She took a deep breath and began. "You know that I'm always going to be here for you, right? No matter what's going on in my life, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll always be right here. I just want you to know, that you're one of the few people I trust with my life. I hope that you trust me with yours. I can honestly say that, you have been the closest friend I have ever had in a long time. I never grew up with those. I hope you know that I respect you so much, and I'll always be here for you."

Hotch stopped the car and pulled off to the side of the road. They both sat there in silence for a moment before Hotch hoped out of the car. Emily was confused at first when he came around to her side of the car and opened the passenger door. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the car.

"What…"

He cut her off when he pulled her into his arms. Emily was stunned at first, but then wrapped her arms around his waist. She felt him bury his head into her neck and he let out a shaky breath. She pulled him tighter and buried her face into his warm chest. He pulled back and looked at her. They were both the perfect height for each other. He was about six foot one and she was about five foot eight.

Hotch's eyes were watering, but he managed to pull himself together.

"It's just been really hard without Haley lately. Jack is always asking for his mom every night and he always watches those home movies. I don't know what to do anymore. I know that we were divorced and all, but I still loved her. I shouldn't have put my job first, I should have chosen her. If I had, none of this would have happened. It's just so hard to handle everything on my own, Emily. I don't know if I can do it all alone." He told her honestly. She could tell that he was going to break soon, and she knew that she could help him.

"Hey," she said softly to him, lifting her hand up to brush away the pieces of hair that hung down in front of his forehead. "I'm here. I want to help you, and if you're willing, we can do this together. And when you can't take it anymore, I'll be there to help you through it. Everyone breaks down in life; it's just part of deal." She told him with a smile. He offered her a sad smile and brought her into him again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. The rain was pouring down on them, but they didn't care. The moment couldn't be any more perfect.

He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and pulled away, opening the passenger door for her. She quickly got in and checked her face in the pull down mirror. Her make-up was fine, but her bangs slung to her forehead. She let out a gentle sigh and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes, she took in the silence. She let herself fall asleep for the rest of the ride to the BAU.

"Emily, we're here." Hotch quietly told her. Her eyes slowly opened and she stretched her legs and arms. Emily let out a soft yawn and replied, "Okay, let's hope we don't have to be here for more than a week." The comment she made was mainly for her, but Hotch gave her a slight nod or agreement.

They both reached the glass door and punched in their security code. They both got to the office around seven forty-five AM, a bit later than usual, but they had a reason for being later than normal.

JJ appeared around eight AM and asked everyone to meet on the plane for briefing.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty bad one," Derek commented.

Emily placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm with you on that one, Derek."

* * *

"Has there been any other attacks?" Hotch asked the team, but the question was mainly appointed to JJ.

"Uh, no. Not yet." She replied. Hotch nodded.

"Darrin Call has been proven hard to track, he's never had a driver's licence, so he's most likely still on foot." Reid told him.

"Or public transportation…" JJ suggested.

"He's not going to take the bus, his face is everywhere." Emily told the team.

Hotch sighed, "What about a stressor?"

Garcia came into the conversation over the computer. "He just lost his job. He's worked at a factory since 1990. He made appliances since forever, and he never got a single promotion."

Derek raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That's a long time to be bitter."

"Or he doesn't care if he gets one or not." Reid told them.

JJ shook her head. "Not if he has a family to feed."

"Actually, he's of the hermit variety. As far as I can tell, he's got no one. No wife, no kids, not parents."

"He's got nothing to live for." Derek commented.

Hotch furrowed his brows and questioned, "So why hasn't he killed himself yet?" No one answered. "Spree's usually end in suicide, and if he has nothing to live for, why hasn't he ended his life?"

"Because he isn't finished yet. We know he has displaced anger, and he decided to take it out of the first victim." Reid said to him.

Hotch nodded. "The stock boy represents someone…and we need to know who." Reid nodded in agreement. "Is he military?" Hotch continued to question.

"Negative." Garcia said.

"Well, he's lashing out for a reason. This guy's got anger, endless targets and a gun…He's just getting started."

* * *

Emily and Hotch entered the crime scene at the local pharmacy in the town.

"I'm Agent Prentiss, this is Agent Hotchner. You work here right?"

The lady nodded.

"Can you tell us anything about Darrin Call? Did he come here a lot?" Hotch asked her.

She nodded. "Mr. Call was always so…_quiet_. He's been coming here for years."

Hotch looked around the crime scene, while Emily questioned her. "Had he ever had a run in with the stock boy?" she asked her politely. She shook her head. "No, John was new here. I didn't know what else to do, so I waved him over."

"He didn't turn violent until you gave him his prescription?" Emily asked confused.

The lady shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't his." Emily raised her eyebrows. "But…you handed him a bag?"

"Yes, but it was somebody else's. I just wanted him to calm down."

"But why didn't you give him his own medication?" Emily pressed on. She was starting to get angry at this lady. "Well, he didn't have any refills left!" The lady snapped.

Hotch cut in. "Woah, for what medication?"

"Uh…alprazolam. He used to be on uh…thiazine."

This changed the whole game.

"Woah, woah…wait, he was on an anti-psychotic?" He asked her.

"Yes! That's why I wanted him to calm down!" Emily was confused. "You said he _used_ to be. How long has he been off of them?"

The lady thought for a moment then replied. "Oh gosh, at least a month."

Hotch let out a deep sigh and threw his hands up. "And…when were you going to tell us this?" The lady didn't reply. "He's armed…he's delusional…who's his doctor?"

The lady started to panic. "I don't remember. He shot my computer. I'm sorry." She apologized to both of them.

"Great, just great." Hotch said walking away and pulling out his phone.

"Thank you for your help, ma'am." Emily told her and walked after Hotch. "Hotch!"

"Call JJ and tell her about the meds."

"Okay, this is not her fault."

Hotch started to get angry. "Prentiss! He's in a psychotic break! This changes everything."

Emily sighed. "Do you want to talk about this?" she asked him, trying to calm him down.

"No! I want to find him, Prentiss." He yelled at her. Emily was taken back at his outburst. She closed her eyes and sighed.

* * *

"Rossi, there's been a call about disrupted noise coming from a psychiatrist's office three blocks from here. Me and Hotch will meet you and Morgan there." She told Dave through the speaker.

When they got there, Rossi and Morgan were there, telling the cops to check the perimeter.

Emily and Hotch entered the room and stared at the scene. The room went silent and no one spoke.

"We're too late." Hotch spat out.

"Hotch!" Emily yelled, but he just kept walking. Emily looked at Rossi and shook her head.

Morgan's phone rang.

_**CALLER ID: PENELOPE GARCIA**_

"What do you have for me Baby Girl?"

"_Okay, I just found out that Call was Bill Jarvis' son, aka the Hollow Creek Killer. He was forced to participate in the kidnapping, torture and killing of young boys. One day, a boy named Tommy, helped Call escape, but since Call was only about six years old, he couldn't get away quick enough. Tommy got away, but Call was still with his father."_

"So, this is all leading back to this Tommy kid and his father. Do you have the address for Jarvis' house?"

"_1457 Higgens Avenue."_

"Thanks Baby Girl!" He yelled through the speaker. "1457 Higgens Avenue!"

The house was surrounded. Call was inside with a young boy.

"Call needs a distraction. If he wants to kill Jarvis, and he's on a psychotic break, no one will stop him."

"We have the house surrounded. No one is getting out of that house. If my team has the shot, they're taking it."

That was when it happened.

Hotch took for his vest and walked up to the door and entered the house.

Emily's heart began to beat faster. "Hotch!" she screamed at him. _No…_

It was about five minutes until they all heard a gunshot. Hotch didn't have his vest on, and they all knew it could be a possibility that he had been shot. Emily was the first one to enter the house.

There lied Hotch on the ground, a gunshot wound just centimeters from his heart. The blood was oozing out of the wound.

"JJ! CALL A MEDIC, _NOW!_" Emily screamed to her best friend.

"Hey, Aaron…stay with me." she told him softly. She didn't care if her team heard her call him by his first name. All she cared about was that he arrived back home safely and alive. "Tell me about Jack." She told him. This got him to open his eyes slowly.

"He's great…" he whispered to her. Emily smiled. "Maybe I can come over for dinner when we get back, and we can watch a movie." She told him, tears running down her face.

"Yeah. Jack would love that…" he told her. His eyes started to grown heavy. He closed them momentarily, but opened them when Emily grabbed his hands.

"Hotch, open your eyes for me. I want to see your eyes." She told him with a smile.

"Can I tell you something, Emily…?" he asked softly. Emily smiled and nodded. "I want you to know…" he began, and he squeezed her hands tightly. "That I think you're the most…beautiful woman…I have ever seen." He told her sincerely.

Emily stared at him, her mouth agape. "And I want you to know…that I love…your smile and your eyes…" he told her, gently bringing a smile to his face.

"Ma'am, I need to see him, please move out of the way." The paramedic yelled at her. She slowly got up and moved across the room. They were taking him away on a stretcher and they hooked up tubes and masked his face for oxygen. Emily was left standing there, tears streaming down her face. JJ came up to her and brought her into a hug.

"He'll be fine." She told him softly.

Emily cried into her shoulder and said something she thought she would never say in her entire life.

"JJ…I think I'm in love with him."

* * *

**94 percent**

Emily's mind was wandering. They had to do heart surgery on him. She kept telling herself that they got to him fast enough and that he was going to be okay, but a part of her felt like she was lying to herself.

**95 percent**

She was in love with him. She didn't know how it happened or when it happened, but she just knew that she was in love with him. She love the way his dimples showed when he smiled. She loved the way his eyes lit up when he talked about Jack and how lucky he was to have him. The way he is always so serious about everything, but deep down, he is a very passionate, lovable man. She loved him for his humor that he never showed, but she also loved him for his flaws. She thought they were beautiful. That was the Aaron she knew.

**96 percent**

She knew that falling in love always came with consequences, but she also knew it came with perks. The perks of falling in love were amazing. You get to experience a different side of person. The way they hold you when you can't stand up right, and the way they tell you they love you. When he tells you you're beautiful, no matter who tells you you're not. There were so many perks she loved. But she hated the consequences.

**97 percent**

There were going to be tears and there were going to be fights. She could handle those. But the only thing she can't handle is the heartbreak. She knew that when you fall in love with someone, there is always going to be consequences. Having your heart broken is just part of the deal.

**98 percent**

He can't die. He can't leave Jack. He will have no one if Aaron dies. Who's going to be there for him to wake him up in the morning for school, or feed him breakfast? There would be so much Aaron would miss. He can't leave the team, they need him. They need a strong man to bring them up, when they can't stand on their own.

**99 percent**

He can't leave _her._ She still has to tell him all the things she loves about him. She still has to tell him she is in love with him. But what if he doesn't feel the same way? They have been friends for a long time, and she doesn't want to ruin what they have. The only thing she wanted to do right now, was tell him how much she's so glad that he's alive. She just wants to tell him she's in love with him.

**100 percent**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All the rights go to CBS and the writers. This is meant for entertainment use only and I give full credit to the cast and crew.**

* * *

**Beep.**

**Beep.**

**Beep.**

His head was pounding, and the god damn machine beeping next to him wasn't helping him. The medication was making him nauseous and he felt extremely light headed. To top that all off, the medication wasn't helping him through the pain at all.

He could feel his heart beating, and it seemed like it increased five times the speed it was going before. It hurt when he lifted his chest to breathe, but he was just going to have to live with it until the pain killers started to kick in.

He pressed the buzzer for the nurse and not a few seconds later, a lady came in. She was short, about average height. Her blonde layered hair shaped her face quite well and her blue eyes brought out her features. He couldn't deny that she was an attractive girl.

"How are you feeling Mr. Hotchner?" She asked him, flashing him a sympathetic smile, showing off her white teeth.

He gave her a tired, yet painful smile. "I'm pulling through. Umm…is there any more pain medication you could possibly give me? It's not really helping."

She didn't reply right away, as she was checking his tubes to make sure they were still intact. "Uh, yes. I will get you some more. Anything else?" She asked him, folding her arms behind her back.

"Just a glass of water would be nice, please."

"I'll be right back with that!" she exclaimed to him.

He smiled to himself and closed his eyes. Like he said before, she was an attractive young girl.

But she was no Emily Prentiss.

"Ma'am? Wake up, ma'am!"

Emily's eyes shot open immediately when she felt someone yelling at her to wake up. She ran a hand over her face and then through her dark hair which felt knotted. "Sorry, did I fall asleep?" she asked her, confused at first when she looked around the room.

_Right…_ she thought to herself.

_The UnSub…Hotch…heart surgery._

The receptionist rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ma'am, you've been here all night. I didn't want to disturb you, but the man you have been asking to see is awake."

Emily stared at her for a long time. She couldn't believe it. Hotch was alive? She couldn't get any sound to come out of her mouth. "H-He's a-alive?" Emily asked her. She didn't give the woman time to reply. Emily jumped out of her seat and rushed to Aaron's room. When she got there, the door was open and there was nurse attending to him. The blonde haired woman turned around and headed out the door, flashing Emily a small smile. Emily only looked at the nurse for about half a second until her eyes turned to Hotch. He had a smile on his face and there was light stubble forming.

Emily couldn't move. She couldn't talk. She couldn't even smile back at him. She stood there for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only thirty seconds. Hotch broke her from her train of thought.

"Emily…" he whispered to her. It was the sweetest, most sincere thing she had ever heard.

The weird part was that she didn't rush over to hug him or say anything to him. She just walked over to the chair next to him and sat there. Neither of them said anything or reached for each other. They just sat there in each other's silence.

For about fifteen minutes, no one said a word. Hotch could sense that Emily was starting to get restless. He decided it was time to break the agonizing silence.

"You know, you can give me a hug, Emily. I'm fine."

Emily looked at him and stared into his eyes. She always got lost in them; it was her biggest weakness with Hotch. He could be saying anything and when she looked into his eyes; she was gone to the world. Tears began to prick in her eyes. She couldn't help it; they almost lost him.

"No Hotch…you're not _fine._ You almost died because of a stupid mistake you made. You do realize how stupid you were, right?" she asked him. Her anger was starting to build, but she didn't care. Hotch nodded. "God, Aaron. How could you think like that? Why would you go in a house, with an UnSub who was on spree, and no put a vest on!? What would have happened if you died? Huh? What would've happened to Jack? He would have to live his life without and mother or a _father_." She yelled at him furiously.

Hotch just sat there, taking it all in. He knew he disserved it, and he accepted that. He also knew Emily was right.

"You're right."

Emily looked at him again. The tears were now streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her shirt. She ran a hand through her rough hair and folder her arms on the bed, hiding her face into her arms. "How could you be so stupid." She mumbled into her arms. She then felt a warm hand enclose around her forearm.

"Emily, come here." He whispered to her quietly.

She didn't want to touch him. "No, don't touch me." she whispered breathlessly to him, pulling her arms away from his touch.

Hotch ignored her command. He wanted to feel her against him, he wanted to _hold her_. He pulled her up on the bed and brought her close to him. She tensed against him and Hotch immediately reassured her. "Emily, you won't hurt me. I promise." After he said that, Emily brought her arm gently around his chest and buried her face into his neck. She cried into his shoulder for what felt like hours, but it was only about ten minutes. As soon as she started to calm down, she pulled her head back to look at him.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again, do you hear me? You don't even know what it did to me. I thought you _died_ Aaron, and it almost tore me apart. What if you did-"

"But I didn't, Emily. I'm here, and I'm very much alive." He told her softly. Emily shook her head. "You don't get it. I didn't even go home last night, Aaron. I stayed here, and slept in a waiting chair. I've only gotten about two hours of sleep. The rest of the time I was awake, I kept asking the nurse if I could see you." She explained to him. Hotch looked at her with surprise.

"Did you actually wait here all night?" he asked her, astounded that she would wait for the news.

"Yes! My neck is killing me right now." She growled out. He snickered and brought his hand up to play with a piece of her hair. She obviously didn't mind because she didn't try to stop him or ask him what he was doing. "Just promise me that you won't do something that fucking stupid next time, alright?" she glared at him until he replied to her.

He put his hands up and smiled, "Alright. I promise. Now get some sleep, okay?" he asked her softly. Emily rubbed her eyes and sniffled. She nodded and dropped her head to his shoulder. In a matter of minutes, Emily was snoring lightly and Hotch was sound asleep with his head on top of Emily's.

"Well, would you get a loud of that," Rossi stated softly.

Derek chuckled next to him, "This is going to fun," he said, snapping a picture of two.

* * *

Hotch wasn't released out of the hospital until a couple of days later. He had to prove to the doctor that he could walk on his own without any assistance. Of course, Aaron wanted to prove him wrong on the _first_ day. He could barely even stand on his own, so that plan back fired on him. The second day, he could finally stand on his own, but walking was still painful for him. Hotch finally agreed that he would try tomorrow and see if he could accomplish the task. After the third attempt, he could finally walk on his own without anyone supporting him.

The Doctor gave him the green light.

"I have written up a prescription for you. Please do not forget to take two of these in the morning, and then again at night before you go to bed. You are strictly on bed rest for the next week." The doctor turned to Emily and gave her a look. "And by _bed rest, _I mean no _sexual activities_ at all. Understood?"

Emily gaped at him, and her eyes bulged out. "Umm, sorry Doctor, but we're not…uh – in a _relationship _…uh, we're just friends." Emily managed to get just that out. She couldn't help but blush at his statement.

_If he thought they were in a romantic relationship, what do other people think? _She thought to herself.

She heard Hotch clear his thought, glancing quickly at Emily and then turning his attention back to his Doctor. "Will there be anything else?"

"Yes. You are not to go into the field for six weeks. In four weeks, you are allowed to go back to work, just stay out of the field. Paperwork or anything that needs to be done around the office will be fine."

Hotch sighed and nodded slightly.

The Doctor gave him a glare. "Do you hear me, Mr. Hotchner? **YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE FIELD.**"

Emily tried her best to keep her laugh in, but she failed. As soon as the laugh escaped her mouth, she covered it with her hand. The Doctor shot his eyes over to hers and glared. It didn't last too long before Hotch cleared his thought.

"Yes, I understand. May I go now?"

"Yes, you may go. If you have any further questions, feel free to call anytime." He said, handing Aaron his card with his name and number on it.

**Dr. Edward Murdoch**

"Yes, of course. Thank you Dr. Murdoch." Hotch told him and practically ran out of the hospital room.

Emily wasn't too far behind him. "Hotch, slow down!" she yelled to him.

Hotch glanced back over his shoulder and her and smirked. "No way, I hate hospitals." He told her playfully. Emily chuckled and ran to catch up with him. She darted in front of him and slowed down, making his decrease his speed. She turned around to face him and placed her hands on his arms.

"Hotch, please slow down. We don't need you to spend another four days in here." She told him softly. He sighed and offered her a small smile.

"You're right."

Her eyes widened a bit. "Well, that's something I don't get told often." She replied sarcastically, tossing him a smirk and a wink. Hotch felt his heart race at her actions. She had no idea what she does to him; even if it's the smallest of things.

He shook his head and chuckled lightly. "Let's just get out of here, I want to see Jack."

Emily smiled at his excitement. She loved how he cared so much for his son. It was tough to have this kind of job and still be able to see your own son that often. "I bet you are excited. I'll drop you off since you don't have a car here." She told him. Hotch nodded. "Thank you, Emily."

Emily smiled. "Don't mention it. I love doing these kind of things." She told him. He looked over at her with a questionable look on her face. "I mean, I love doing things for people. I like to put a smile on someone's face, or just making their day in general." She told honestly.

Hotch nodded in understanding. They walked the rest of the way to the car in silence. Once they got to the car, Emily started it up and turned on the heater. It was the beginning of December now, and it was starting to get really chilly outside. She looked up at the sky, and noticed the grey clouds forming.

"It looks like it's going to snow tonight. I hope it does, I love the snow." She mentioned to him. Hotch smiled at her excitement. "Yeah, so does Jack. I on the other hand…I don't necessarily _hate_ it, but I do hate driving in it." He told her with a smirk.

Emily chuckled. "So do I. I just love all the lights, and the hot chocolate and the snow falling on Christmas Eve. It just makes me smile." She gushed out to him. She looked over at him and shook her head. "Sorry I'm telling you all this. I was just caught up in the moment."

Hotch looked over to her. "Oh no, I like hearing about these kinds of things from other people." He said to her, offering her a smile. "So, what do you usually do for Christmas?"

Emily sighed and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Nothing huge, I get a few gifts from friends and my mother usually sends me a card. I don't know, Christmas for me is usually spent on my couch, with a cup of hot chocolate and a marathon of _Friends_." She told him truthfully. Hotch starred at her for a few moments, surprised that she spends Christmas alone.

He reached over tentatively and touched her arm when they came to a stop light. "Emily, no one should have to spend Christmas alone."

Emily smiled sadly, watching the light turn from red to green. She lightly pressed on the gas pedal and headed towards Hotch's apartment building. When they go there, Emily helped Aaron out of the car and led him to his door. She took out his key from her bag and unlocked the door for him. It was about six o'clock, so Jack would still be up. As soon as the door opened, Emily heard feet drumming across the ground, getting louder and louder the closer Jack got to the door.

"Daddy!" Jack shrieked loudly, making Emily chuckle behind Hotch.

"Hey buddy!" Hotch said enthusiastically to his son. Jack hugged his father tightly, unaware of the wound he has.

"Be careful, Jack. Daddy has an ouchy, so don't hug him too tightly." Emily told him softly.

Jack's eyes widened at the sound of Emily's voice. He completely ignored her statement and started squirming in Hotch's arms, wanting to be let down so he could hug Emily.

"Em'ly! I missed you so much!" Jack yelled, jumping into her arms and hugging her tightly.

"I missed you too, Jackster!" she told him, hugging him back. After about a minute of hugging him, he wanted to be let down, so she put him on the ground and he ran off into his room.

Hotch turned to Emily and smiled. "He loves you. He always talks about you, and he's always asking me when you're coming over for dinner again." He told her, hoping she would catch on to his offer.

Emily chuckled, "I love him too. He's a sweetheart." She told him, trying to avoid the subject of having dinner.

Hotch smiled. He decided he would drop the dinner subject and talk to her about something else. He grabbed her hand gently and guided her to the couch. "Emily, I know that you usually spend Christmas alone, and I know that it's only a few weeks away, but Jack loves having you here and it would be the best present I could give him, if you spent Christmas with us. What do you say?" he asked her, hoping she would say yes to his offer.

Emily stared at him for a long time. She couldn't say anything, she couldn't even blink. Her jaw was dropped about two centimeters and her eyes were big. She sat there, staring at him and she couldn't even get a word to come out of her mouth.

Hotch took it the wrong way and decided to start talking. "I'm sorry. I was just offering, since you spend it alone. But, it's fine. If you have other plans, then don't worry about it, we'll just make other plans for-"

Emily cut him off by pulling him into a hug. He didn't react right away because of how shocked he was, but he soon realized what was happening, and he hugged her back. He felt her bury her face into his neck and breathe in his scent. He smiled happily and brought his hands up and played with a piece of her hair. Emily pulled away from him too soon, and he instantly missed her warmth.

She sniffled and ran a finger under each of her eyes, wiping away the mascara that had smudged from the tears. "I'm sorry for crying. It's just that…I've never really gotten to have a Christmas morning experience before, and I'm flattered you decided to ask me." He smiled and nodded. "I would love to spend Christmas with you, but I don't think it would be right of me to take up the offer."

"Why?" he asked her, his voice sad.

She sighed and folded her hands in her lap. "Everything that has happened to you this past year; I don't want to come here and have everyone thinking that I'm trying to replace Haley. I mean, it's hard enough for Jack to have his first Christmas without his mom. I don't think I would feel right barging in and trying to replace something that non-replaceable." She told him honestly.

Hotch sighed. "Emily…" he started, gently taking her hands in his, "no one can ever replace Haley. But, Jack loves you a lot, and it would mean the world to him to have someone as special as you spend Christmas with us. I promise you, no one is going to think that you are trying to replace Haley." He told her, praying that she will say yes.

Emily looked down at their hands. He was holding them in his, and the warmth he was giving off made her heart jump with happiness. She looked into his deep brown eyes and stared. She sighed heavily before responding.

"Aaron Hotchner, you are the sweetest, most honest man I have ever met."

He smiled at her comment.

"And you sure know how to make a girl say yes."

Hotch's smile grew and he immediately brought her into a big hug. He didn't want to let go, but he knew that she had to go.

She left the embrace and stood up. "I should probably get going."

"Yeah, I'll give you a call tomorrow and let you know how I'm doing."

Emily nodded.

"Maybe you could even come over for dinner tomorrow night?" he asked her with a smile.

Emily chuckled and her eyes sparkled with glee. "I would love to."

Hotch grinned, showing off his dimples perfectly. "Drive safely, please."

Emily nodded and stood in the doorway. "Thanks again for inviting me to spend Christmas with you guys. It really warms my heart." She told him. Hotch smiled. "It's going to be something I won't ever forget."

Emily looked at him and nodded. She stood on her tip-toes and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Emily waved goodbye, wanting to leave before he saw how red her face was.

Hotch smiled and touched his cheek.

_Yeah…there is no one compared to Emily Prentiss._

**Thank you for all the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I didn't have time to proofread it; I have two tests tomorrow, so I apologize for any mistakes. **

**Leave a review, and you may just get a chapter sooner!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All the rights go to CBS and the writers. This is meant for entertainment use only and I give full credit to the cast and crew.**

* * *

"He invited you to spend Christmas with him?!"

Emily chuckled at both of her friend's outburst. "Yes, he did."

Garcia slapped her shoulder, harder than she meant to.

"Ow!" Emily squealed to her friend.

Garcia rolled her eyes. "Oh c'mon, that didn't hurt."

JJ laughed softly at them. "So…are you excited Em?" she asked her friend, taking a sip of her beer.

Emily curled her legs under herself and took a swig of her margarita that JJ had made for her. "Yeah, I mean, it's going to be fun. I've never really got to experience an actual family Christmas. I'm actually really excited to be spending Christmas with Hotch and Jack." She told them honestly, failing miserably at hiding her blush.

Garcia sucked in a breath exaggeratedly. "Oh my God! You like him!" she practically screamed at her. Emily had to cover her ears, trying to block out most of the scream that came from a very excited female.

"I do not, Pen!" she shot back at her.

JJ laughed. "That's a laugh! You are totally kidding yourself Em, and you know it."

"No, I don't like him. He's just a good friend, that's all. We just…understand each other." Emily told them cautiously. JJ rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Emily, you know we want you to be happy, and it wouldn't bother us if you have a crush on Hotch. I mean, he's a catch. Tall, dark and handsome, I'd go for him. You know…if I wasn't with Will."

"Yeah, how are you and Will? Is everything going okay with you two?" Emily asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

JJ shrugged, and giving them a small smirk. "Oh, you know; just the usual. I mean…we've been together for almost a year now, and that's the longest relationship I have ever committed to, so I say it's going pretty great."

Emily and Penelope smiled greatly. "See Em, that could be you and Hotch, if only you would tell him you like him."

Emily finally accepted defeat. "Fine! You guys win!"

JJ and Garcia exchanged looks, confused at what she meant. "What do you mean, Emily?"

"I'm saying I do! I have a crush on Hotch, and I can't come up with a logical reason. I hate it, because every time I go over to his house, I want to tell him how I feel, but I can't. I don't want to ruin the friendship I have with him. He's just so great, and we understand each other. We just fit together, and I always smile when I hear his name, and my mood immediately changes when we're together. We can just talk for hours on end, and by the time we're done, it's almost midnight. Last night, I stayed until about eleven o'clock and when I left, I gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then he asked me to dinner tonight." Emily poured out to her friends. She didn't know what to do.

"Guys, what do I do? Should I go to dinner tonight?"

"Yes!" The both of them said in unison.

Emily nodded and there was a silence for a moment.

"Emily," JJ started.

Emily lifted her head, "Yeah?"

"You should tell him on Christmas Day. That would be the best present anyone could ask for."

Emily smiled and felt her cheeks redden.

* * *

**2:00 PM**

That was what her alarm clock read. She still had to get ready for dinner with Hotch tonight, and she had no idea what she was going to wear. She wanted to give him the impression that she wanted to be something more than friends, but she didn't want to push things too far.

She walked over to her closet and stood in the middle of the boxed room filled with clothes. She had lots of choices to choose from, but none of them pleased her. She started to grab a hand full of dresses.

She grabbed a simple black dress that ended just above her knee, a flowered dress that would hang loosely, a navy short strap-less dress, and finally her favorite red dress. She tried them all on, twice, and they still didn't seem to be fitting.

She sat on the end of her bed and grabbed her phone to check the phone.

**4:00 PM**

She had been trying to find an outfit for two hours already, and she had to be at Hotch's by seven o'clock. She decided to give him a call and ask him if there was a special dress code.

The dialed his number and it rang three times until she heard his voice on the other end.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Hotch."

"_Hey Emily! What's up?"_

She smiled at his enthusiasm. "I just had a question about dinner tonight."

"_Oh, can you still make it? It's okay if you are not able to come, we can always-"_

"Hotch, stop. I can still make it. I was just wondering if there was something specific I am supposed to wear?" she asked him, suddenly feeling very awkward asking him about what she should wear.

She heard him chuckle through the speaker._ "No, there's no dress code. Just wear something you're comfortable in."_

Emily smiled and absent-mindedly nodded her head to herself. "Alright. Can you give me a hint as to what you have planned for tonight?" she asked him teasingly.

"_Well, Miss Emily Prentiss, you will just have to wait and see." _He told her with a light chuckle. She could only imagine what his face would look like right now. Hearing him laugh made her heart flutter.

"Aww, you're such a tease Mr. Hotchner." She told him, giving him a mental image of her pouting. He chuckled at her. "Okay, I guess I'll see you at your place at seven, correct?"

"_Yes, see you then Emily." _He told her, giving each other a quick goodbye and hanging up. Emily sat on her bed for a few moments before smiling to herself and getting up, heading for her closet.

She knew exactly what she was going to wear.

* * *

The sound of knocking echoed through his apartment. Jack was out with Jessica until nine tonight, so that gave Emily and him two hours to themselves. He knew that Emily would want to see Jack again, so he arranged for Jessica to drop him off later. He swiftly opened his door to greet her, but he found that no words would come out of his mouth.

There stood Emily Prentiss, in a pair of boot-cut, blue jeans and a white V neck t-shirt. She had a short gold necklace on and her hair was in curls. Her footwear consisted of a pair of grey TOMS, completing her outfit. She must have stood there for a good minute and half until Hotch was able to find his voice.

"H-Hi," she stuttered out. Emily chuckled at the way we was acting around her. She lifted her hand and patted his cheek gently, flashing him a smile. "Oh, come on Hotch, you must have something better than that. May I come in?"

"Sorry," he cleared his throat, "Yes, of course. You look… amazing, Emily." He told her carefully.

Emily flashed him a smile and shoved her hands into her jean jacket. "What smells so good, Hotch?"

"Well, that's the best part of the surprise. It'll be ready in about five minutes; do you want anything to drink?" He asked her, walking into the kitchen.

Emily didn't answer him right away. She was kind of distracted by how his jeans fit him. It fit his legs very nicely and he couldn't help but stare at his ass. Her eyes travelled up his back and his blue dress shirt fit around his shoulders perfectly, defining his muscles in his shoulders and arms. He didn't have his shirt tucked, so it was just hanging loosely around his hip, but he was wearing a tie and that topped off his entire outfit.

"Emily?"

Emily's head shot up and her eyes met his dark brown ones. "Huh?"

Hotch eyed her for a moment before mentally shaking his head. "I asked if you would like something to drink before dinner, but it took you while for you to respond, so I guess I'll just ask you if you would like something to drink _for dinner_."

Emily smiled and nodded her head. "Yes please, what do you have?"

"Well… I have white and red wine, beers and a cider." He told her, naming off the bottles of alcohol he had.

"I'll just have a small glass of red wine please. I don't want to drink a lot tonight, because I have to drive home." She mentioned to him. He nodded, respecting her wise decision. Before he poured them both a glass, he brought out their meal. He had made them both two tender, rib-eye steaks topped with cooked mushrooms and onions. There were four pieces of perfectly steamed asparagus on each plate that looked delicious. He had also added roasted potatoes that he had crisped to perfection. The table was set with two, tall candles standing next to each other. He set both of the glasses down and poured them both a glass of red wine.

Emily didn't know what to say to him. She had never had anyone do this type of thing for her.

"Hotch…"

"You don't have to say anything, Emily. We're just two friends, having dinner, and talking about anything other than work." He told her honestly, giving her soft smile, displaying his dimples.

"No, Hotch, I do. This means more to me than you will ever know. I've never really had anyone do this kind of thing for me. All of the past men I have ever gone a date with, they just took me out to dinner and all they wanted from me was sex. You really didn't have to go through all of this for me, Aaron." She told him softly.

Hotch watched her carefully. She had called him Aaron and he loved how his name rolled of tongue. Emily looked at him and then finally realized what she had said.

"Oh my God… I'm sorry; I just thought that this was a… date. I didn't know… I'm sorry." She told him, her face reddening with embarrassment. She picked up her fork and jabbed a potato, lifting it to her mouth and taking a bite. When she was embarrassed, she would always eat. Hotch suddenly felt guilty that she was embarrassed.

"Emily…" he started to say to her. Emily looked up at him and raised her eyebrows at him. "You don't have to be embarrassed. I understand how you might have thought that this was a date. The only one who should be embarrassed should be me… for not telling you it was a _date_."

Emily stared at him with astonishment. She couldn't believe that she was on a date with _Aaron Hotchner_. "So… this _is_ a date?" she questioned him, still trying to convince herself it wasn't.

"Only if you want it to be." He told her, his smile growing. He could feel his confidence growing each minute that passed by. He wanted to reach across the table and take her hand in his, but he decided he should wait. He wanted to take this slow. He didn't want to ruin everything from making one foolish move.

Emily immediately smiled at him and grabbed his hand lightly. Hotch's heart was racing when he felt her skin against his. He looked down at their hands and smiled lightly at her action. "That would make me very happy." She told him truthfully. Hotch felt his cheeks begin to rise with heat, but he didn't care right now.

He was on a date with Emily Prentiss.

* * *

The two agents had ended the night with a movie and they had just finished their third glass of wine. It was about eight-fifty PM and Jack would be home in ten minutes. He wanted to surprise Emily, so he hadn't told her.

She was very interested in the film playing on the high definition television screen. He told her she could pick out what movie they could watch, so she had picked _Love Actually_. It was a Christmas movie, but it was also a chick flick. Hotch didn't mind, as long as he was with Emily, everything was perfect.

Until his phone started ringing. He reached over and looked at the caller ID.

**Caller ID: Bath Clemmons**

_Shit…_

"Are you going to answer that?" Emily asked, not taking her eyes off of the screen.

"Yeah," he told her and sighed softly. "Hello?"

"_Hey Aaron!"_

Emily could hear the girly voice on the other end of the phone. Emily picked up the remote and clicked pause, stopping the film from playing. She looked at Hotch and waited for him to reply.

"Hi Beth… What's up? I'm kind of busy at the moment, can I call you back?" he asked her, praying silently she will say yes.

"_Of course. Bye!"_ she told him cheerfully over the phone. "Bye." He said to her and then hung up.

"Who was that?" Emily asked him. She wasn't mad, but she was confused.

Hotch turned to her. "That… was Beth. She's someone I run with and we went out for coffee once. I guess she wants to go out on an actual date, because she keeps calling me." He told her honestly.

Emily eyed him for a moment and then nodded. "Then go on an _actual_ date." She told him, picking up a grape and popping it in her mouth, savoring the juicy taste.

Hotch looked at her surprised. Emily glanced at him and then noticed the look he was giving her. She sighed and shook her head. "Oh, come on Aaron. Just because we're on a date right now, doesn't mean you can't go on other dates. You should go." She told him with a smile.

"But, I thought that if we we're on a date, I shouldn't date anyone else."

"We're not dating though. This was just dinner and a movie. Yes, it's a date, but it's not a relationship date. We are just two friends, having dinner and watching a movie."

Hotch sighed heavily and nodded. "Okay. So I should go?"

Emily chuckled and clicked play on the remote. "Only if you want to."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Then Hotch broke the silence.

"She wants to go out to dinner on Christmas Eve."

Emily dropped the grape she had been holding and looked at him. She cleared her throat and blinked a few times. "Oh. You can go if you want to, I can stay here with Jack and then just come back in the morning for Christmas." She offered him.

Hotch didn't buy her easy-going attitude right now, but he decided he would drop it. "Okay, I guess I'll go then. And Emily…" she looked at him again. "You can always stay over-night of Christmas Ever. Jack is up pretty early, so it would probably work better, but only if you want to." He told her, trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded and checked her watch.

**10:58 PM**

"I'll think about it, but I should probably get going. I'm really tired and I need to get some Christmas shopping done tomorrow, but I'll call you tomorrow and maybe we can take Jack to the park and get some coffee later. Okay?" she told him, standing up and grabbing her bag.

She walked over to the door and before she could reach for the handle, the door flew open and in came Jack and Jessica.

Jack looked up at the lady standing in the apartment. "Em'ly!" he screamed and ran towards her leg. Emily was just as surprised as Jack was. She lifted him up and hugged him tightly. "Jackster! I missed you!" she told him, feeling him throw his arms around her neck and snuggling into her.

"I missed you too, Emmy."

Hotch smiled at the scene before him. "I have to get going, but your dad I might take you to the park tomorrow, does that sound like fun?"

"Yeah!" he squealed in delight.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay buddy?"

"See you tomorrow, Emmy!" he told her, giving her leg a squeeze before running off to his room.

"Thanks again for the dinner tonight Hotch, I had a really amazing time." She told him, pulling her shoes on and standing in the door way. Jessica had already gone inside to tuck Jack in, but came back to watch them say goodbye.

"I had a great time too, Emily. I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked her hopefully.

Emily gave him a small smile. "I'll call you, okay?"

Hotch nodded and smiled back. Emily once again, for a second time, gave him a light kiss on his cheek. After she pulled away, Hotch grabbed her arm gently and looked her in the eyes. He leaned forward and placed his lips on her forehead gently. He desperately wanted to kiss her goodbye, but he felt that if he did, it would be too soon.

"Goodnight, Emily."

"Goodnight, Aaron."

And with that, the night was over. Hotch came back into this apartment and let out a long sigh.

"What happened?" Jessica asked him.

Hotch looked up to meet her eyes. He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Beth happened."

**There you go everyone! I have to say, this chapter is by far my favorite, but I have a chapter planned that will have you all on your toes. I can't wait. Next chapter: **_**The Christmas Arc!**_** I can'**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All the rights go to CBS and the writers. This is meant for entertainment use only and I give full credit to the cast and crew.**

* * *

**5 Days until Christmas.**

The ceiling seemed to interest Emily more than shopping for Christmas did. She didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. She just wanted to stay in bed for the whole day, but she knew that she had to get Jack something for Christmas before everything was sold out. There were only five days left until Christmas; four days until Christmas Eve. She still had to get her shopping done for Jack, her mother, her father, Rossi, JJ, Garcia, Spencer and Derek. She sighed as she thought about the last person.

Aaron Hotchner.

She slammed her head done on the pillow, hard.

"I hate this…" she grumbled into the pillow. She could hear her phone vibrating against the wood on her side table. She wanted to scream out, but she tried to keep her anger in before looking at the caller ID.

**Caller ID: Aaron Hotchner**

She slapped a hand on her face softly, and let out a heavy sigh before pressing the green accept button.

"Hello?" she asked into the speaker, trying her best to sound like a normal person.

"_Hi,"_ The voice on the other end said softly.

"Hello, Hotch."

"_Are you out of bed yet? You sound like you just woke up."_

Emily found herself smiling gently. "As a matter-of-factly, I have not. I don't want to." She told him. She heard him let out a soft sigh. "What?"

"_It's nothing. What are you doing today?"_

Emily felt herself catch her breath in her throat at his question. "Uh… nothing, why?"

"_Do you want to help me pick something out for Jack for Christmas? He's at his aunt's for the day, so we have all the time in the world."_

"Uh… Sure, why not. I have to do some shopping anyways." She told him honestly.

"_Great, do you want to meet at the coffee shop we usually meet at?" _

"Sure, how about in an hour?"

"_Sounds perfect. See you then."_

"Okay, bye."

"_Bye."_

Emily had waited until Hotch hung up, listening to the beeping from the line going dead. She sighed and dropped her phone on the bed and walked over to the mirror in her bathroom. Her dark hair was a bit messy from sleeping, and also from her curls the day before. She sighed and grabbed a face cloth, quickly washing her face.

It was just Hotch that she was meeting with, it's not like she had a date. They were best friends, so it wasn't like he was going to criticize her for not dressing up. She shook her head and grabbed her tooth brush, scrubbing her teeth clean. She applied a bit of mascara and some foundation. Taking another look at her hair, she decided she would pull it up in a loose pony tail, letting her bangs hang freely. She threw on a pair of dark blue jeans and white pull-over hoodie. She glanced at the clock and realized that 45 minutes had already gone by. Grabbing her beige TOMS, she pushed her feet into them and quickly grabbed her bag, locking her apartment door on her way out.

Emily walked outside and it was snowing lightly. She smiled softly and started walking to the coffee shop, shoving her hands in her pockets and walking with her head down. It took her about fifteen minutes to get there and she was the first one there. She walked up to the girl and ordered two coffees.

"Hi, can I have two large coffees; one of them with two sugars and two creams, the other with three sugars and two creams." She told the cashier politely.

Emily stood there for about five minutes, waiting for her coffee, and just when she got them both in her hands, Hotch walked through the doors. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a large pull-over black hoodie. He also had his black gloves on, protecting his hands from the cold. On his feet, was a pair of dark colored sneakers. His hair wasn't like his formal, work-attire hair. It was a tad messy, but it looked casual.

Emily walked up to him and handed him his coffee, flashing him a soft smile. "Two sugars, two creams, right?"

Hotch let out a chuckled and grinned. "You know me too well, Emily. Do you want to walk?" he asked her, gesturing to the door. Emily nodded and smiled when he held the door open for her. When they both stepped out into the snow filled city, Emily's smile seemed to grow.

"I absolutely love the snow." She said, thinking out loud.

"I know you do." He told her with a smile. Emily looked down at her feet and tried to hide the blush that was creeping up on her face. She glanced up at Hotch and noticed that he was trying to blow a piece of hair that hung above his forehead.

"You still can't seem to get that one piece of hair to stay in its place, can you?" Emily teased him.

Hotch chuckled at her. "No, and I don't think I will ever be able to."

Emily laughed gently at his comment and they both walked in silence for a few minutes. Hotch looked over at Emily and saw how deep her hand was in her pocket. Her hand was moving in the jack pocket, obviously trying to warm her hand up. Hotch sighed.

He gently moved his coffee to his left hand. Lifting his right hand up, he gently placed his hand on her left forearm, silently telling her to give him her hand. Emily looked down at his hand and then back up at him. She was trying to fight the blush, but she let all her fears go and grabbed his hand. He slowly intertwined their fingers and he felt her move closer to him. He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand gently. Emily sighed happily.

"So, what does Jack want for Christmas?" she asked him, taking a sip of her hot coffee. Hotch cleared his throat.

"He wants a Hot Wheels play set, with some cars to go with it. He also wants some Lego to build things with because you know how much he loves building things."

Emily smiled at him. "But you know what he told me what he really wants?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "No, what?"

"He told me, he wanted a Crime Scene Investigation case. He wants a box filled with everything you need to find out who the bad guy is." Hotch told her, looking down at her with a serious face on.

Emily couldn't help but laugh at his statement. "Ah… so he wants to learn how to catch the bad guys. Are you going to get it for him?"

Hotch sighed heavily. "I want to, but at the same time I don't. I want him to be what he wants to be, but I don't want him to become someone like I am; someone who focusses on the job more than the focuses on the life he has outside of the job."

Emily couldn't help but feel sad for him. "Hey," she stopped him in his tracks and stood in front of him. "Don't talk like that. Hotch; you don't get it, do you?"

Hotch looked at her confused.

"To him, you're his hero. You're the one who tells him, that there are no monsters under his bead, because you've already caught them. He looks up to you. Frankly, I'm not surprised that he wants to be like you. Don't ever say that you don't spend enough time with him. He understands that when you're not at home, you are out there catching the bad guys."

Hotch looked at her, his eyebrows raised in a sad manner.

"No matter what you do, or where you are in the world, he loves you; more than life itself. To me, that's something everyone should have in their life. I know I don't have a kid, and I probably won't ever, but I do know a little something about love, and I know for a fact, that Jack loves you. Please, don't forget that." She told him. Emily could feel tears running down her cheeks at her statement. She couldn't help it.

Hotch looked at her with a smile, his eyes glistening from the tears he was trying to keep to himself. He moved closer to her and rested his forehead on hers, looking deeply into her dark brown eyes.

"You, Emily Prentiss, sure know how to prove a man wrong." He told her, the smile on his face growing with each moment that passed.

Emily felt herself chuckle at his statement. Her eyes slowly descended to his mouth, but she quickly forced her eyes back up to his. Hotch could feel his breathing slowly increasing.

He _wanted_ to, so badly. But he couldn't. He wouldn't be fair to her. He slowly forced himself to pull away from her, watching her face go from hopefulness to guiltiness.

Emily quickly gathered herself and cleared her throat. "Um… should we go get Jack's present?"

Hotch gave her a small smile, offering her his hand again. She took it and, once again, interlaced their fingers together, spreading warmth through her entire body. "Yes, let's get him his CSI case."

They walked and talked all the way to _Toys R Us._

Both of their minds kept going back to the almost kiss.

* * *

When they both finished their Christmas shopping, Emily told Hotch that she was feeling a bit tired, so she was going to head home. Hotch nodded to her and told her to call him when she got home.

When she got home, she dialed Hotch's number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi, it's me."

"_Oh, hi, did you get home safely?"_

Emily smiled at his concern. "Yes, I did." She could hear him rummaging through something, but she didn't know what. "What are you doing?"

"_Oh, I kind of have a date with Beth tonight. About that, do you think you could come over and watch Jack for a couple hours? I shouldn't be long, it's just dinner."_

Emily almost dropped her phone right then and there. _Did he really just say that?_ She thought to herself. She couldn't find her voice, not to mention her heart felt like it was being ripped out, piece by piece. She couldn't believe it. Even after what almost happened today, he was going out with _Beth._

"_Emily? Are you still there?"_

She finally forced herself to come back to reality and say something. "Y-Yeah, I'm here. Uh… what time do you need me at your house?"

"_In fifteen minutes?"_

Emily let out a soft sigh, as she felt the tears running down her face and dropping to the ground. "Sure. I'll see you then." And with that, she hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye. She couldn't hold it together, she was hurt. But, she knew that she couldn't show up at his house, looking like a heartbroken girl. She sucked in a deep breath, threw her hair up in a bun, and pulled on a pair of sweats and a sweater.

Why should she even try anymore?

Emily arrived at Hotch's apartment at exactly six-fifteen. Hotch heard her knock on the door. He flung it open, not bothering to look in the peep hole, because he knew it was her.

"Hi Emily. How are you?" he asked her politely, tugging at his tie to make sure it was tight enough.

She tried not to look at him, but she couldn't stop herself. "Fine."

Hotch looked at her with confusion. "Are you sure, if you don't feel up to doing this, it's fine, I'm sure I can re-schedule."

Emily shook her head and looked down. "No, just tell me what time Jack needs to be in bed and everything will be fine."

"He's in his bed reading, he's just getting over a cold, so he will probably stay in his room tonight."

"Alright."

He stared at her for a few moments, waiting for her to look at him, but she never did. She just sat on the couch, bringing out her book to read. He sighed and played with his shirt.

"I should probably get going. I'll see you in about three hours." He told her, walking over to the couch she sat on. He leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead, but she pulled away and just laid down on the couch. "Okay, bye." She said into her book.

He stood there for a few moments, but then shook his head and walked towards the door. He shut it on his way out.

Once Emily heard the door shut quietly, and waiting a few minutes to make sure he wasn't coming back, she broke.

She sat on his couch, crying for the three hours he was gone.

What made it worse, was that he was gone for more than three hours.

* * *

Hotch came back home, to find Emily sprawled out on the couch, with a box of tissues on his coffee table. The book she had been reading was on her chest. He noticed that it was on the same page she had it on when she left. He walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder.

"Emily, wake up." he said softly, smiling when she groaned and slowly opened her eyes to find his eyes looking into hers.

She slowly sat up and immediately grabbed her head. "Ugh," she groaned out.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, but not bothering to mention how red her nose and eyes were. He knew she was crying, he just didn't know what over.

"I will be when I get home and sleep in my own bed." she said, slowly standing up and walking towards the door.

"Emily, you don't have to go home. It's really late, just take the guest bedroom."

She tried to smile at his offer, but she didn't. She just shook her head and pulled on her sneakers. "Thanks, but I would really just like to go home. I'm not feeling one-hundred percent today. I'll see you later Hotch." She told him, walking out the door and shutting it quietly, not wanting to wake Jack.

Hotch stood there, his soul filled with sadness. He had to go after her, but he couldn't get his legs to move.

Emily waited to him to come after her, but he never did. She walked outside and saw her vehicle. She stood in the apartment building entrance for what felt like hours. She grabbed her phone out of her jacket pocket and looked at the time.

**12:15 AM**

Emily sighed and opened her phone. She went straight to her contacts and searched for _Aaron Hotchner_. She clicked on the call button, and brought the phone to her eyes. It rang three times before he heard him talk into the speaker.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi."

There was a pregnant pause. _"Emily?"_

"Yeah it's me."

"_Are you okay?"_

She didn't answer him right away. "…No,"

Hotch didn't respond to her answer. She started talking again.

"Look, I know you probably figured out I was crying earlier by all the tissues I used and how red my face looked, but I couldn't help it. I was hurt, and I still am. I can't seem to get over this."

"_Emily, what're-"_

"I know that you like Beth, and I'm sure she's a great person, but I can't take it. I don't want you to go on dates with her, and kiss her, and hold her, and do whatever you guys do together. It hurts too much."

Hotch felt his breath catch in his throat. _"Emily, what are you saying?"_

"I'm saying…"

She didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't.

"_Emily?"_

"I'm saying that no matter what happens… I'll always be here for you."

Before Hotch could reply, she hung up and jumped in her car. She raced home to her apartment building, tears running down her face as she walked in her door. She closed the door and collapsed against it.

* * *

"Jessica? Hi, it's Aaron. I know it's late, but it's an emergency. I think I made a really big mistake and I need to you come over here and watch Jack."

"_Fine… I'll be there in a five minutes."_

"Thank you so much, I owe you big time."

He had to go to her apartment and apologize.

Jessica showed up at his door at the exact time she said she would. Hotch thanked her again and ran out the door. He raced to his car and drove to Emily's apartment in less than ten minutes. He finally got to the door and knocked.

Emily felt her body jerk at the sound, but didn't stand up to answer the door.

"Emily, I know you're in there. Open up."

Emily felt more tears start to come at the sound of his voice.

"Listen, I made a mistake. I'm not dating Beth, we haven't even kissed yet. I think it's because I'm scared. I don't want to kiss her, I don't want to hold her or hug her. It wouldn't feel right… because I'm already in love with someone else."

Emily didn't respond or even bother to stand up.

"Emily, please open the door. I can't stand to see you hurting. I didn't have a goodtime tonight, just to let you know. She doesn't talk about the interesting things we talk about. All she did was talk about her, she didn't even ask about me. I left early, because I couldn't stand being with her for another hour. I left and I went to get a coffee and walked around town. I had someone else on my mind the whole night, and she hasn't left my head since."

There was a pregnant pause until Hotch heard the door unlock and open, revealing a very sad and depressed Emily Prentiss. Hotch walked into her apartment and quickly brought her into a hug. She let the tears escape onto his jacket, holding onto him tightly.

"I want you to be happy. I have so many hopes and dreams for you, Aaron. I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slowly for you, and each road leads you where you want to go. If you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you make the right choice that means the most to you. I hope you find someone who will love you, and someone who will love you more than life itself. But more than anything, I hope that this life becomes more than you want it to. I hope your worries stay small and you don't have to feel like you have to carry the world on your shoulders. I hope you know that someone wants the same things too." She told him, choking on her words ever once in a while.

Aaron smiled at her honesty. He gently pulled away from her and brushed away a piece of that was hanging in front of her face. She smiled. "So, why did you leave early from your date?"

Hotch smiled. "She wasn't you."

Emily felt her breath catch in her throat at his statement. "Aaron…"

"Emily Prentiss," he started, getting down on one knee. Emily's eyes started to widen at his action. "Will you please do me the honor, of… going to dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked her, with a funny smile written on his face. Emily couldn't hold in her laughter any longer. She laughed at his action for a few moments and had tears running down her face.

"That is some way of asking a girl to dinner, Aaron Hotchner." She told him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him tightly.

"So… is that a yes?"

Emily chuckled at looked up at him, lifting herself on her tip toes and kissing the tip of his nose. "Yes, that is definitely a yes."

Hotch laughed and kissed her on the forehead.

* * *

**I know, this is the sappiest chapter I have ever written, but I'm a sucker when it comes to true love. I don't really like how this chapter turned out, but near the end it got a bit better. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next up; Four days until Christmas!**


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